Happenings in and about one of Indiana's most outstanding historic suburban neighborhoods

October’s Award Home Sign Goes to an Original

October’s winner is 4701 Stratford, owned by Kerry Antonuccio and Matt Bierbaum. It is a beautifully maintained home that they’ve kept almost completely original. Award Home honors often go to quality improvements but this month quality preservation gets the nod. The only update they’ve done, beyond normal maintenance, was to the master bathroom.

The kitchen, windows, hardwood floors, moldings, built-ins, mantle, french doors, jack-and-jill tiled bathroom, even the grasscloth wallpaper in the den are all ORIGINAL and date back to 1938. That’s when the house was built for the Barbieri family – the first and only other owner. When they purchased their “new” home, Mr. Barbieri presented Kerry and Matt with a full set of labeled skeleton keys, one for each room. Now that’s original. Those keys will be on display next June when they open their home for the ARCH Home and Garden Tour.

Community, family, and friends in Southwood Park are the big draw for Matt and Kerry. They grew up in the neighborhood and, after their professions took them to Boston for six years, they returned in 2005. They’re happy to be here, raising their own children Sam and Ana, “back home” and near family. Kerry’s parents live only a block away.